31 years ago yesterday, I woke well before dawn and knew right away why. It wasn’t the wild wind of Spring, bringing in the month of March “like a lion”. What woke me was the beginning of labor that would last all day. As we drove to the hospital, the wind gusts pushed against our little pickup truck and added to the deep memories of that morning. Many hours later, our firstborn arrived.
This morning was very much like that morning long ago. I was, however, wakened this time by those March winds, blowing hard outside. No going back to sleep, I settled in front of the fireplace with coffee and reading…reflecting on all the good of this week.
Here are my five favorite finds:
1) Perspective – Two authors this week caused me to think deeply about how we make decisions and choose directions. Writer pastor Scott Sauls (author of a favorite book Befriend) wrote a series of “What ifs” in his blog this week. Here are a few:
What if, in the spirit of Paul intelligently and winsomely engaging Greek academics with the truth of the gospel, Christians became known for engaging in thoughtful, enriching, challenging, and honoring discourse about God, humanity, and life (Acts 17:22-34; Colossians 4:6; 1 Peter 3:15)?
What if, in the spirit of how care was given to vulnerable children and women in the early church, women experiencing the trauma and fear of an unplanned pregnancy began to think first of local churches, not local clinics, as a comprehensively life-giving place of comfort, counsel, and care (James 1:27)?
What if, in the spirit of Scripture’s vision for the integration of faith and work, Christians became known as the bosses everyone wants to work for, the colleagues everyone wants to work alongside, and the employees everyone wants to hire (Ephesians 6:5-9)?
[Read the rest here.]
Photo Credit: Flickr
Also innovator Steven King wrote of making a decision NOT to become a professor in North Korea. Unlike professor Tony Kim and others who now languish imprisoned there without benefit of a trial or any contact with family or other representative. Remember the #USA3.
Photo Credit: Facebook
Could I Have Been the Professor Being Held in North Korea? – Steven King
2) The Academy Awards – The 2018 Oscars ceremony is coming up this weekend. Among the nominees is The Greatest Showman‘s “This Is Me”, the original song by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The song celebrates the beautiful humanity in all of us, no matter our differences or peculiarities.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
If you have not heard this song yet, I have links below. They are in a particular order, and you definitely should take your lunch or coffee break to watch all of them.
2. The Greatest Showman – “This Is Me” with Keala Settle (The Making Of)
3. Beyond the Guitar’s arrangement of a Greatest Showman medley (including This Is Me)
[Sidebar – There are 4 other original songs in the Best Song category of this year’s Academy Awards. One of them is Remember Me from the film Coco. Here is the Beyond the Guitar‘s arrangement of this lovely lullaby.]
3) Malcolm Gladwell & Success – Author Malcolm Gladwell is a tireless student of human nature and culture. My husband brought my attention to him through his books The Tipping Point and Outliers.
Gladwell is scheduled this year to teach writing in the online Master Class. In the promo (below), he tells a story about the Goliath’s in our lives.
Photo Credit: Guillaime Courtois, Wikimedia Commons
“Why do giants lose? Because they can’t see….they’re so big and strong and powerful they lose the ability to kind of properly appreciate the world around them. It’s not just a story about David’s courage and greatness…it’s a story about Goliath’s blindness.”
In a video montage (archived on YouTube), Gladwell gives clarity to how we can be successful in life (even with Goliath’s):
Gladwell’s 10 Rules for Success
- Have the courage to pursue your idea.
- Try a new approach.
- #Believe in meaningful work.
- Constantly revise your conclusions.
- Distinguish yourself from others.
- Practice.
- Explore.
- Be patient.
- Understand the rules of business.
- Outwork others.
YouTube Video – TED Talk – The Unheard Story of David and Goliath – Malcolm Gladwell
4) Relationships – They are the heart of life. Relationships. Friendships. As we get older, too often we allow friendships and family relationships to go untended, unnurtured. To our own peril.
Photo Credit: Flickr
Writer Anna Goldfarb gives wise counsel in her piece How to Maintain Friendships. In brief here’s what she advises:
- Communicate expectations.
- Nix “I’m too busy”.
- …Then examine your busyness.
- Personal, small gestures are the way to go.
- Cultivate routines.
- Come through when it counts.
- Acknowledge efforts made.
Read her whole article for detail and context. Wisdom.
How to Maintain Friendships – Anna Goldfarb
This week, I also discovered this young and dynamic pastor, Michael Todd. His sermon series on relationships is like having coffee with a trusted friend who knows stuff and is funny to boot. The first sermon is Before the Person: Relationship Goals. [You can start 20 minutes in.]
He presents how God provided for Adam in the Garden with Eve, but not before He set other things in place first.
Before the Person:
- Place
- Purpose
- Provision
- Identity
- Parameters
Good teaching, for sure.
5) Changes in the Weather – I love this changeable weather. This week was such a mix – short sleeves one day, cap and jacket the next. As I say earlier, this morning was so windy, it woke me up before 4:00am. It’s still blowing hard hours later. Our wind chimes are ringing like church bells on a wedding day. Crazy wonderful weather.
[My garden flag flew away and I grabbed my jacket and I walked, still in pjs and slippers, until I found it.]
The beauty of this time of year in Virginia also changes with each passing day…more and more blooms heralding the coming of Spring.
So there you have it. What were some of your favorite finds this week? Please comment below. Also, take care out there in this weather. Enjoy the sun when it comes, and take the rain as a gift to wind down a bit from your week. With much love.
Bonuses:
Rising Tide Startups – Podcast with Glenn Hirchfield, Entrepreneur & Angel Investor
Did you catch the ice skating gala performance on NBC the night before the 2018 Winter Olympics closed? The finale was amazing, as all the medalists performed to the Oscar nominee song “This Is Me” (yes…again). I thought it would be easy to find the professional videotape of this event but all I could find were fan videos. Still, they are fun to watch…especially capturing the joy of Japanese skater Yuzuru Hanyu. Enjoy:
The rehearsal:
The final performance:
Quote:
Photo Credit: Facebook, Dementia Awareness Every Day